Jockey or saddle seats are known to be used in high-speed reinforced inflatable patrol boats that may be launched from larger operational marine crafts such as Coast Guard vessels. Occupants of such boats are subject to violent and unpredictable rocking, rolling, heaving, jerks and vibrations as they sit or stand straddling the seat. Bouncing on waves at high speeds can lead to injury and fatigue of boat operators and passengers in extreme conditions. As a result, jockey seats are typically provided with suspension pedestals or other shock absorbing systems that give the occupants body protection against vertical accelerations associated with high-speed marine craft. Jockey seats may also be designed with backrests or handlebars to provide further support and stability at the front and rear of the seat occupant.
The positioning of a seat prompts the seat occupant to stand on the balls of the feet in a knees-bent defensive position which offers natural protection against fatigue and injury. Height adjustment of the seat is important to people with different leg lengths so the legs may continue to take up the forceful shocks incurred during high-speed boat operation regardless of the available shock absorbing capability of the seat.
It is desirable to provide a jockey seat assembly having a reliable, easily operated height adjustment mechanism which offers a range of vertical positions and is corrosion resistant for the marine environment. It is also desirable to provide a jockey seat assembly with enhanced adjustable leg and thigh supports laterally of the seat. It is further desirable to provide additional support structure which is conveniently incorporated into the front and rear ends of the jockey seat assembly.